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In 2015 and 2016, there was a pair of golden eagles at Bridge Creek Wall. When in effect, starting January 1, PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB or travel within 1/2 mile of Bridge Creek Wall. As a reference, the climb Condorphamine Addiction is just outside of this 1/2 mile buffer, and is OK to climb still. The closure extends through August 15, but there is active monitoring to determine if the seasonal closure can be lifted earlier.

In 2014, there was an active pair of peregrine falcons at Snow Creek Wall, but no official closure was put in effect due to the location of the falcons. The site will be continually monitored with changes or removal of closures updated as necessary.

Description

Hyperspace is a combination of various pitches on Snow Creek Wall, generally following the left side of the massive "Shield" formation. The climb is in between the two moderate classics, Orbit and Outer Space. Several minor variations exist.

The traditional start is RPM, a runout 5.10+ dirty slab. The more common start is Remorse.

P1 - 70m

P2 - 30m - 5.11a - The Psychopath pitch follows a nice finger crack off the left end of the belay ledge. This crack eats up small nuts and cams. After about 1/2 or 2/3 of the crack's length, a few small knobs appear on the left. Move onto these knobs, then from the top of these knobs, swing back right into the crack and up to the belay ledge. Alternatively, its possible to continue to face climb out left of the crack for the remainder of the pitch (5.7R).

P4 - Step right from the belay (look down and note the massive fresh rock scar!) Follow thin flakes, slabs, and a corner upwards, with better than expected pro.

P5 - 40m - 5.10c - Follow the beautiful left-facing corner, past a small tree and bolt (which would be used to link into Outer Space).

P6 - 40m - 5.10d - There are two main corners/chimneys.Eventually be in the rightward one, although both are initially climbable. The left one leads to a sticker bush, move rightward before this point. From the top of the chimney system, face climb leftward (often fixed gear) and make a few desperate and physical moves upward into a flaring/cramped stance (The Pressure Chamber). Face holds on the right wall allow one to stem wildly rightward across the overhang, and reach and thin finger crack, and then a much better positive layback flake. Above this spot, follow the left-facing corner for 25' (5.10a) and then traverse left on a hidden foot ledge to comfortable belay.

P7 - 30m - 5.10a - Traverse left to the end of the foot ledge and follow the crack up to a roof.

Descend to the left (walkoff) as for Outer Space.

Location

Approach Snow Creek Wall via the Snow Lakes Trail. Stay on the trail for ~1.5 miles, until almost past the wall. A trail down through the woods leads to a log crossing on Snow Creek, and up to the wall at the base of P1. The walkoff from the top is to the left.

Comment Type:

This is an excellent route; lots of physical crack climbing with amazing positions and exposure! The style reminded me of the Rostrum but easier. I felt the 5.11a Psychopath pitch was more like 10+ after taking the knob exit left. The "overhung blocky face" on P4 is pumpy but has rests. More traffic could really clean this beauty up, some lichen but nothing serious. Great description Blake! Get some!!
Sep 30, 2009

A few suggestions. Beta alert! Don't read if you don't want move beta...

Psychopath: I would avoid moving all the way left onto the knobs. Just grab the first knob with your left hand and keep climbing up. This avoids a barn door and awkward move back to the crack.

P4: We climbed the steep wall right of the corner. Great climbing. Protects well. Highly recommended. Use lots of long runners.

Pressure chamber: We climbed this in one long pitch to just below the final roof. I had terrible rope drag. Runner this pitch well too. Blake's description of the pressure chamber move is spot on. I'd go left side in for the move out of the chamber. Using the good face holds to reach out to the other wall. Don't try to squeeze. Practice your stemming before this route ya'll.

The "foot ledge" Blake describes is about 2 inches wide. It's about 7' below the final roof just left of the corner. It's very small. I found the belay is best here with a #2 Camalot and some medium/large nuts. Very exposed belay.

Gear: I never placed a #4 camalot and would not bring one again. Not to say you couldn't but I never needed it. One #3 seemed sufficient. I'd bring 3 .75's next time. It seemed like I always needed another. This route accepts bomber nuts. Bring a good size stopper rack. Tiny to big and lots of runners. Next time I'd bring 20 runners. Might seem like a lot but on the 40m pitches you'll be glad you've got them.

Best route I've done in Icicle creek. A great warm up for the Valley.
Sep 11, 2010

Thought I would add some pertinent information. This route has a lot of loose/suspect rock, especially after the death block. I wouldnt be surprised if it sheds again like the rock fall scar next to the death block-(WHICH IS SCARY!!!) Please climb this route with care to avoid trundling rock down the face..I wouldnt stand below this route! There are soccer sized blocks residing in some of the cracks and smaller blocks are plenty. There are flakes that can pull off or sound hollow. Careful were you stand/pull/place pro. Just aware.

With that said, there is some beautiful climbing on this route, especially when adding the psychopath pitch. We followed Blakes description and recommend belaying just below the exit moves if 10d++ isnt your OS level. One recommendation is to brake-up the pitch after the death block into 2.

Never needed the #4, doubles of #2 and down, single #3, aliens work great. Lots of runners

I accidentally pulled off the hollow flake anchor above the pressure chamber pitch yesterday. Sorry to all those below, thankfully no one was hurt. Small gear would be needed for that anchor now, or a #4 would be nice for the crack to the left, but not absolutely necessary. A powerful reminder that conditions change over time with accumulating freeze/thaw cycles. Hell of a route with one less loose rock.
May 17, 2015

Took advice in the description and built a hanging belay just below the final part of the pressure chamber (end of pitch 6 I think). This belay can be built with a medium size nut and a #3. Then lead up through the pressure chamber and built the belay it on the slab. you no longer need a #4 there as the flake is gone, now takes .75-#2.

The yellow wall isn't much harder than the corner and rocks. I would almost give that pitch a PG13 rating given the less than decent gear and loss rock/flakes in the upper half. Still thought it was great fun though. Be aware that the bolted anchors at top of P5 are there for a reason...

Route could definitely use some care, but not sure how to do that with the train of folks coming to this rock to climb outer space.

One final note. On approach pitch to the ledge from which the psychopath pitch starts, there is fixed cam with a orange thumb loop. Be careful clipping it, there is a wasp nest inside the crack...
Jul 27, 2015

A couple things I'd like to share that might help future hyperspace climbers:

The cracks are dirty, the slabs are covered in lichen, and there is actually a fair amount of exfoliating rock to be found as well.

There are loose blocks all over this route. Do not take this lightly as they really are quite prevalent. As in, don't follow another party up, and be mindful of where you place your belayer for each given pitch. The 11b pitch is definitely dangerous. The loose looking blocks for the first few moves are not the problem, the flexing horns that make up the jug holds for the top 20 ft are the problem. I suggest avoiding this pitch all together.

Don't do the 70m pitch one as described. There's no reason to make delicate and insecure slab moves with 60 m of rope drag. Belay on a comfortable dirt ledge ~30 m up.

The pressure chamber pitch as described here is a very gear intensive pitch. Consider the hanging belay below the pressure chamber (which would gice the added benefit of splitting the rope in half to haul a pack) or consider placing sparse gear on the double crack/chimney section. There is a nice fixed stopper in the pressure chamber that helps the gear situation though.

No need for a #4 now that the flake has been pryed off the belay above the pressure chamber.

Overall, I thought there were 3 good pitches on this route, the rest were mediocre, inconsistent, loose, and dirty. One of the best multipitch routes in Washington eh?
Jul 29, 2015

This route is awesome. The rock is generally excellent and there are some loose blocks and features on the way up to the pressure chamber. It seems like you could also climb around them to the left and avoid it as well. The pressure chamber, while stout, is really 10d when you look at it in the right light. In the wrong light it is much harder.....One of the best 5.10 routes in Leavenworth for sure. Leave the number 4 at home.
Sep 20, 2015

My "classic" rating comes solely from the Hyperspace pitches. Psychopath is a very cruxy but short 10c, got it first go on my third outing in 10 minutes. Indeed a pure face climb, use the one knob on the left but never move left. It is a fun, pleasant pitch, but somewhat unremarkable after Hyperspace. Tall people win here :O) Same goes for the "yellow" section of the fourth pitch, a very typical gym 10c, no need for wide stemming, I onsighted it. Plenty of choices for pro, I sat on the "night stand" to place!

The business, the fun and the essence of the line come from the three final pitches - Hyperspace proper. Do not let the ratings fool you, those approach "11"-s are nothing compared to what's next. The first pitch of Hyperspace proper is not a sandbag but a good 10c, a sign of things to come. Don't know where the 40m for the P6 comes from, perhaps a direct rappell length from the top of it to the tree at the beginning? There are no twin cracks as one would naturally imagine, Blake said chimneys - they are. The line draws you along the left side and transitioning right is not trivial - start looking for that right away. I woke up at the sticker bush and traversed right at that spot. The crack slowly widens into a huge chimney/chamber that saps your energy and eats gear - leave a #2 or #3 and a couple of medium cams for the PC. The huge chamber peters out, and spits you out, then widens into the Pressure Chamber (PC) - the crux: getting in, squirming through, exiting. So much is mentioned about the airy stemming above that, but the Chamber is the one hard and desperate. Once the Thank God fixed nut is clipped with a loooong sling and the Thank God handhold is used to exit the Chamber, look for good feet to the right, it is scary but not hard, stem, do not layback the thin crack. I placed green aliens and a small nut. Get to a sloping 2x2 ledge. It is not over yet, the "20 foot corner" above is stout too. It is a huge dihedral with a crack in the corner, but not a classic jam or layback, the gear is tricky, fall - very consequential. The "belay ledge to the left" is a 4 inch horizontal crack running to the edge of the left side of the dihedral, there is a very distinctive, concave depression for the anchor, save a #1 and #0.75 for this, but there are other options. Traversing from the dihedral corner to the horizontal crack is also not trivial and very dangerous because it is 10 feet out and a fall would slam you into the right wall. Balancy, no crimpers!!!! Again, tall people get it easy here. Last pitch is the left corner of the humongous roof above, and it's only 10a, so should be no problem, right? Save a #0.75 and #1 for this!

Agree with the #0.75 comment, even 4 would not go to waste, but not 20 runners though :O) Only fixed gear is the nut in the PC.

Overall, the two pitches 5 and 6 make this climb, and they are stern, severe, and that's their beauty and the attraction in my view. 11b minimum.
Aug 30, 2016

It is a nasty sandbag to rate Psychopath 5.10c. It's 5.11 for sure...I'd say 5.11a/b. Super technical and HARD even now knowing exactly how to approach it. It was a huge achievement for me years ago first time I led this pitch; still feels that way every time. It's intimidating to boot.
Sep 1, 2016

Sussed out the moves on Psychopath, guilty! I was just startled at the disconnect between ratings of the lower portion and the Pressure Chamber which completely shut me down. Did not intend to sandbag anybody, sorry.

If there is any more pertinent info from me - the Hyperspace is definitely worth doing and repeating so exhilarating, addictive and satisfying it is!
Sep 1, 2016

I've watched several very good climbers fail to onsight Psychopath. To me, it's definitely an 11. I also think the Iconoclast corner on pitch 4 (i.e., going left of the Yellow Wall, as well as the Iconoclast exit variation on pitch 5, if you bail that way) are harder than any pitches on Hyperspace, other than Psycho and the Pressure Chamber. If you are weak, like me, belay below the Pressure Chamber and do it as a short pitch. I found getting into the Pressure Chamber the most difficult. Wound up french freeing a lot of it (which, surprisingly, was not that big of a deal, compared to the descriptions in trip reports I reviewed). I noticed in Blake's book there is a picture of somebody stemming their way in at the very beginning of the PC, which seems super committing to me. The alternative seems to be a desperate grovel in a groove (left side in being best?). Would love to hear more beta suggestions on this rig. In any case, this is an absolute classic route. I can understand why John does it so often.
Sep 6, 2016

Amazing. Every pitch is memorable, including the Iconoclast pitches. Everyone makes the Pressure Chamber sound so intimidating but don't let that deter you. It's short and extremely well protected. 30 seconds of grunting and groveling gets you into the chamber, and some awesome wide stemming gets you out. No offwidth skills necessary. Above the chamber is no harder than 5.9, chimney with a finger crack.

The amount of loose rock and lichen is standard if you've climbed anything in the Enchantments. Easy to work around and doesn't detract from the climbing one bit.
Sep 26, 2016